Binnie Brennan | Author | Musician

Short & Sweet

“Do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in few.”

- Pythagoras

I can’t seem to get comfortable with the novel I’m writing. I think partly it’s the scope of it, at least the possibilities that reside within the draft. In recent years I’ve written about fifteen short stories, most of them in the 2,000 – 5,000-word range, some of which are the basis of my novella, and some of them under 500 words (flash fiction, which is a gas to write, but not easy). The notion of the epic within the small holds great appeal to me, and is a medium in which I feel comfortable not saying too much, although some might say not saying quite enough. As reader, I feel the same way: I don’t want too much given to me.

I’m struggling right now with how much is too much and how much is not enough, as far as Draft 1 goes. The best approach, of course, is to keep going, keep dumping words on the page, and sort it out later. Easier said than done, but no-one said this was going to be easy.

There’s not too much else to say about it, so I’ll keep it short.

The end.

PS – Late-breaking news: Robertson Davies’ novel Fifth Business is being adapted as a miniseries for television! In Canadian producer Niv Fichman’s able hands, it’s bound to be terrific. Anyone as stoked as I am?